A Sorta Fairy Tale
by cheriepie89
Summary: AU. The prince is engaged to a beautiful princess locked away in a tower. When Dark, the prince's brother, volunteers to rescue her, he comes to find that his princess is in another castle. Witches, knights, and talking rabbit-hybrids, oh my!
1. Prologue

_**A Sorta Fairy Tale**_

_**Prologue**_

_**a/n: **I own nothing, sadly._

* * *

He made the journey because he promised his soon-to-be-king little brother that he would protect him at all costs. His brother was nowhere near as weak and sickly as their mother liked to believe, but Dark—dashing knight that he knew he was—did not mind traveling across stormy seas and fighting off ogres and trolls to save the princess in the tower, the one Daisuke wanted to marry.

"He cannot make that journey!" one of the advisers cried out.

"But she's to be my fiance, so I should be the one to rescue her," Daisuke mildly tried to argue. Dark had to smile at his gentle brother, who was strong when needed, but certainly not one to try to debate with his advisers or parents.

"You're the next prince! You cannot be in danger!"

"But I'm her letter correspondent!" Ah, the letters that Daisuke wrote to the beautiful princess were what sparked the romance. Princess Risa was taken at age six by a fearsome witch to live with the green dragon. She could only leave when a man honorable enough for her agreed to defeat the witch. Many princes from all over the lands wrote to her, and why wouldn't they? The Hamada king had a lovely kingdom, and rumors of her beauty scattered across the kingdoms. She was fair and delicate, like a doll. The Fragile Princess was recipient to many letter written by hopeful princes, but Risa only ever replied to Daisuke, whom she deemed worthy enough for her.

"I can go," he volunteered. Dark was the perfect knight. The older bastard brother, son of the queen but not of the king and not in line for the throne, Dark was free as a bird, just the way he liked it. He was free to get his brother a girlfriend. He was free to sail away and fight monsters in his black armor and silver sword and be a hero. With that, he was content.

Dark was also content on being a hero without the girl.

So Dark made the terrible journey across the sea and dark forests of doom to rescue the princess Risa. He climbed the tower of the abandoned castle, fought off the terrible dark green dragon and opened the door to the room she was held captive in for ten years.

All for his brother.

"Who are you?" a voice, passionate and angry, asked, staring defiantly into his red ones.

Whoever she was not princess Risa.

But she came close. At least, Dark noticed that right away as he gave her one his most dashing smiles—the one that made all the girls at the capital swoon—that this girl was beautiful, maybe more so than his brother's princess. She was not very tall, but she was lean and had the womanly curves on her body and the angles on her face. Her eyes were fierce but large like a doe's, and her lips were a curious dark pink, plump and pleasant to look at.

"Hello, I am Dark Mousy, and I am here to rescue princess Risa." He grandly introduced himself, all the while feeling a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. In the future, some retellings would mention that he saw the giant book in her hands, but the truth was that he was painfully oblivious when her smile distracted Dark's view from anything else.

"I'm afraid your real princess is in another castle," she told him smugly.

Then she knocked him out unconscious.

And that was how Dark Mousy, The Black Knight met Riku, Princess of the Hamada Lands.

* * *

_**Ultra Special Blah Blah Blah: **This is my new story, multi-chapter, Romance. It is set in a Fairy Tale narrative, but with a twist. I had been toying with this idea for awhile, but we shall see if it is any good. Let me know your thoughts!_

_Happy Reading!_


	2. Chapter 1: Bait and Switch

_**A Sorta Fairy Tale**_

_**Chapter One: Bait and Switch**_

_**A/N:**__ I own nothing as usual._

* * *

Once upon a time, roughly sixteen years before a dashing knight was knocked unconscious by a very spunky princess, an oracle went to the Hamada lands and spoke with the king. In a booming voice, she warned him that he had to protect the princess who would bear the power of life, by placing her in a tower with a dragon to discourage an evil witch from getting her. The only one who would be able to enter the tower would be a great man worthy to be by her side until death.

The king panicked for his queen was carrying their first child, and heir to the throne. They kept the pregnancy a secret and planned to hide their princess when she was born.

Of course, they ran into a snag when the queen gave birth to _two _princesses.

"We were told of only one!" he cried out to his wife, who looked lovingly at her daughters.

"Dear, we cannot possible know these things ahead of time. We do not live in a time or world where medicine can tell us the gender of our child, or how many we will have, or even provide medicine to alleviate some of the pain of childbirth."

"Though I wish we did. Your pregnancy was rather hard on me."

"Yes…I am sure pregnancy was hard on _you_, dear." The king missed the queen's hard stare, but he looked at his twin girls, each different as the land and sky. His queen smiled knowingly. "She was born first." She pointed to the silent child studying her with large chestnut eyes that almost shone gold in the light. Her gaze went to the smaller infant, identical but somehow much more delicate. Her cries echoed in their bedroom chamber. "She was born seven minutes after."

The king named them aptly in his opinion. The older girl was named Riku because she was quiet and strong like the earth. Risa was given to the second child for her much delicate nature.

"We will let the world believe that we only have one princess," the king decreed, disapproved by his wife who believed this lie was ridiculous. However, it was the king's word and everyone had to abide by this secret. No outsider could meet the "princess" and the girls lived in a secret compartment in the castle, happily growing and learning from their tiny worlds. For a time, there was happiness.

Then, Risa was able to control the flowers.

No one noticed right away, but then the older sister found daisies growing in through the stone walls of their room. Risa delighted in having the flowers face her during her few times in the castle gardens. Then, in a fit of anger, Risa had told the vines to curl around her sister until they wrapped her so tight that she felt like one with the vines. When the king and queen saw this, they cut Riku out and looked at their younger princess with worry.

The oracle was called in and looked at both children with confusion.

"So it is this girl?" she pointed to the delicate child cowering behind her older sister.

"Yes," fretted the king. "She makes the leaves change color and the flowers bloom. She controls life."

"But are you _sure_?"

"Of course!"

After some time, the oracle shrugged. "Well, I've been wrong before. Anyway, you must place this girl in the tower. That's the only way she will be protected before the witch finds her."

At the time, the king and queen agreed, but when the oracle had left and was far, far away, plans were not as solid as they had been earlier in the day.

"I don't want to be locked up! I'm scared! The dragon will eat me!"

"No, my princess, the dragon will protect you," the queen tried to comfort her, but the small child of only six years old could not be silenced.

Her sister studied her with mix guilt and concern. It was her fault Risa's powers were revealed. Maybe if she hadn't taunted her sister, Risa would not have set the vines on her, and the oracle would not have come to tell her parents to send Risa away. Risa was different. She didn't like to be alone, and most certainly had a very reasonable fear of dragons and being locked up in towers until some man supposedly good came to rescue her. So she did what she felt was her duty as the older.

"I can go."

They refused at first, but Riku could see her parents accept the idea. After all, Riku was stronger and quieter, and didn't share the same concerns about dragons and towers. But then what would they do with Risa? Well, the queen came from simple means in a simple village, and Risa could be sent there, away from dangerous hands and evil witches. She would be with people who would raise her with love.

So it was decided. Both princesses were sent away on different paths: Riku to the tower meant for Risa, and Risa with the queen's mother in a village far outside the Hamada lands. And that was the plan for ten years.

Dark heard this story with an open mind once he came to. He also didn't really have a choice since he was tied to a chair while his "captor" kept pacing around, explaining why it was her and not Risa that he found.

"There, I explained. So now _you_ have to tell me why some pervert is here and not the Prince of the Niwa kingdom." The princess, Riku, crossed her arms expectantly.

"Hold on there: pervert? How am I a pervert?" Dark took some offense. After all, in the ten brief seconds they interacted before she hurled a giant book at his head, he hadn't done anything improper.

"Don't think I don't know who you are, Black Knight, bastard brother of Prince Daisuke. I know all about your womanizing ways and your pelvic sorcery," Riku explained with a distrustful disdain. Dark couldn't help himself with a smirk.

"Pelvic sorcery? Pray tell, princess, what is pelvic sorcery?"

The girl blushed instantly. "I don't know. That was the phrase people used, and it isn't like I have much of an idea of what goes on. I _have _been locked up here for ten years."

"What people?" he asked incredulous that there were people talking about him enough to reach a remote castle tower.

Riku pursed her lips. "All the princes that sent letters warned me of the Black Knight and his pelvic sorcery and improper gazes. Except for your brother. He only mentioned you briefly and a bit more positively."

The Black Knight sighed, moved his shoulders a bit and stood up, his bindings falling down to the ground with ease. He kept another smirk to himself after catching the princess gasp that her rope couldn't keep him restrained.

"Sorry, I like to have some sort of comfort." He sat back down in the chair and crossed his arms. The princess warily pulled a chair and sat across from him, clutching to her book just in case.

"Before you start, answer me this: did you really end up slaying Wiz?"

"Wiz?" Dark noticed that she came close to crying at the mention of this strange name. "I have never slayed anyone by that name."

Riku groaned in exasperation. "Wiz is the great, green dragon that guards this castle. He's my friend."

With a rather sardonic look, dark asked her, "You're friend is a dragon?"

He noted how cute she was with flushed cheeks and an embarrassed tone of voice. "You try being locked up in a tower alone for ten years and see what kind of friends you make. Did you slay him?"

Funnily enough he didn't. Dark had prepared for his journey by making sure his dragon slaying skills were top notch (not that he ever killed a dragon before, but he figured practicing his swordsmanship was good enough), but he managed to get to the tower with ease. The only violence he'd encountered was at the hands of the princess herself.

"Are you trying to tell me Wiz just _let you in_ without a fight?" Riku was quite distraught, and rightfully so. She had been counting on the dragon to rightfully judge her sister's would be husband. It was the whole reason why she was even in the tower in the first place. "Unacceptable."

"Right, so here's my story. You already know that I am a bastard child…what are you doing?" Dark still remained rather jovial, but he was a bit affronted that the princess who wanted to know his story was running around her room packing things into a bag and throwing it dramatically at him. If it were not for his quicker reflexes this time, he would have been hit unconscious once more.

"Change of plans. We are leaving. We are going to go find my sister." She declared with her hands on her hips.

"What?" Dark stared open mouthed at the princess, who was about to change from her lovely lavender dress. It seemed she remembered she was not alone, for she blushed and ran into her wardrobe. She came out with trousers, a long shirt and vest, with boots reaching to her knees.

"You need a princess, right? Well, Risa's the one. Then we can determine if Prince Daisuke is the proper prince…or if you are."

It was silent for a minute, with Riku looking disgusted and the Black Knight looking more confused than ever.

"Princess, what do you mean if _I'm _the proper prince?" He flashed her one of his dashing smirks. "Or need I remind you that I am no prince?"

"This is _Risa_'s castle! Not mine! I am just a substitute to keep her safe and away from loneliness. Wiz was meant to determine which prince would be worthy of the princess with the power of life. If Wiz let you in…"

"Then I might be the one for your sister, not Dai-chan." Dark finished the thought for her. The idea of marrying this scared princess who needed her twin to get locked up in a tower for her did not seem all that appealing. "I do not have any plans to marry, even if your sister is as cute as you."

"Which is why we need to see if Prince Daisuke is to be her husband," she replied briskly, blushing at the compliment he gave her nonchalantly. "We have to do this before the witch gets wind of the fact that Risa has been living outside this tower this whole time. So will you help me or not?"

Dark grinned. An adventure with a feisty and cute princess to look for her sister, all while being in danger of a dangerous witch ferocious enough to scare off the oracles?

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

**_Ultra Special Blah Blah Blah: _**_ I will be honest, I maybe have a rough out line at best for this story. And I rather it be more comedic than my other DarkxRiku fics. So, it will be a bit silly overall. I also dont have a schedule planned, so bear with me! Anyway, thanks for reading! _

_Please review!_


	3. Chapter 2: Wiz is not a Green Dragon

_**A Sorta Fairy Tale**_

_**Chapter Two: Wiz is not really a Green Dragon &amp; Other New Information**_

_**a/n: **__I own nothing except this plot. Also, this fic is not meant to be taken seriously. Don't take it seriously._

_However, I did mess up in the first chapter, which I will fix. Riku and Risa are 16, and were taken from their kingdom at age 6. Daisuke will be 17, and Dark is 19._

* * *

Dark , the Black Knight, was a man of many talents, but journaling was not one of them, which was a shame because he was vain enough to want to be remembered after death, and that would be easier if he had a journal of his many talents to leave behind. His only saving hope was to somehow be the protagonist of some epic story that a narrator could tell the world of long after he was gone.

That remains to be seen.

However, if Dark was a journaling sort of man, he would title the first day and night travelling with Riku, Princess of the Hamada Lands, Fake Princess of the Green Dragon's Tower, and Preferable Twin In His Opinion as "The 10 Main New Things I Learned in the First Day."

One: The first new thing he learned was that Wiz was not in fact a dragon or even green. He was white and looked like a deformed rabbit creature.

"He is not a deformed rabbit!" Riku defended her friend hotly. The aforementioned not-rabbit had jumped from the tower's foyer as they were exiting it, and jumped onto Dark's face. As it wrapped its ears around his head, Dark flailed around miserably before Riku managed to stop her laughing and call the animal to her.

It was white, soft, and had red eyes that were not threatening. It perched itself on top of Riku's shoulders before Dark finally managed to ask the Fake Tower Princess what on earth happened to that deformed rabbit.

"This is Wiz, my friend. Although a lot of people think he is the green dragon." It was easy to see how much affection the girl had for the creature. She spoke of it with a soft and admiring voice that Dark found rather charming.

"That is not a dragon," he replied, narrowing his eyes at the creature. It only cooed at him.

"Of course he isn't one, _now_. Wiz is a shape shifter. He pretended to be a green dragon for years protecting and fighting off unworthy suitors for me—I mean Risa."

"Why a green dragon?" Dark asked curiously, noticing the white fur on the animal.

"The oracle said it had to be a dragon."

"Fine, but why green if that thing is white?"

"What's wrong with green?"

"Nothing, Princess. I was just wondering why a green dragon. Why not, white, or red?"

"I like green!" Riku declared defensively. Dark only conceded and tried to hide his grin.

Two: Princess Riku loved the color green.

For the first ten minutes after stepping into the forest that was across the rickety bridge that led to her tower, Riku rolled around in the grass laughing madly. She climbed the trees to pick the leaves, and did cartwheels down the small hills. For awhile Dark watched her chase the small not-dragon Wiz like a child. He didn't say a word even if it was in his nature to poke fun at such frivolity. He had to remind himself that this princess was stuck in a tower for ten years, only not experiencing the new world that had been outside her confined space.

Three: Princess Riku did not like shoes.

She tried for the first hour after she remembered that Dark, the Black Knight, and avid user of Pelvic Sorcery was with her and had watched her act like a fool for thirty minutes. She put her shoes on back in a huff and walked behind him, not saying a word.

She spent ten years in a tower and outgrew her shoes very quickly. Wiz would sometimes go and turn into a crow and steal shoes and clothing for her, but the shoes she never took well to. There was no need in her mind. Why wear heels when they're so uncomfortable. And Wiz could only carry so many shoes before he had to find a way to throw them out when she outgrew them (the clothing she was able to sew into other things), so she walked around her tower barefoot without a care.

So when she was finally out, she did not realize how stifling her shoes were. Her traveling companion realized her discomfort when he tried to use his rather charming crooked smile at her and commented, "You look constipated."

Riku had no sense of calmness to coolly respond with something witty, so she took off one shoe and hurled it at the handsome—she had to begrudgingly admit, he was very easy on the eyes—but lecherous knight.

"I meant well!" he cried out after catching her shoe. "You have a _cute _constipated look!"

He didn't catch the other shoe since it hit him right in the chest, but Riku felt much better, which he also noticed and could not stop the smile from resting on his face after watching her wiggle her toes in between the grass. He chose not to comment on it.

Four: Locking up a girl in a tower for ten years makes her rather fearful of…well, everything.

He did not complain though, considering after Princess Riku encountered her second lizard (which were worse than spiders, according to her; she knew what spiders were), she demanded that Dark do something about it. He almost rolled his eyes at her attitude. You can take the Princess out of her kingdom, but you can never take the Princess out of the girl.

"As much as I would love to follow your every command, I don't control nature. I can't just stop lizards from existing, Princess," he reasoned with her. Luckily for him, while Riku was in all aspects of the word, _bossy_, she was not unreasonable. That much was obvious when she flushed for her ridiculous request, and he knew she was putting on her brave face before walking amongst the lizard infested lands again. It was all too much for him to take, so he crouched down and pointed at his back.

"Excuse me?" She sounded ruder than she intended, but she felt herself get hot at his implication. No one warned her about these feelings. They were not feelings of love or infatuation (the princes who wrote to her made sure she knew what those were), but they were feelings of burning desires that made her feel quite embarrassed. She did not like Dark, the Black Knight. That much she was sure about. But it didn't stop her from getting excited at the thought of pressing her body near his.

_What is wrong with me?_

"I can't make the lizards stop existing. But I am strong, and I will carry you from whatever you believe is trying to harm you."

"Are you serious?"

"Just think of it like this, Princess: throughout this journey, I will be your knight, and I swear on my life to protect you."

It was a rather dramatic declaration just to quell her fear of scaly, small lizards, and she was about to tell him as much. However, he threw a wide, boyish smile at her, and her words could not help but get caught in her throat. So, with a nose turned up and a solid, "tch!" for good measure, Riku climbed on his back, and he used his arms as a shelf for her bottom.

And while Riku was a bit of a rough princess, especially in comparison to her sister if her memory served her right, she was still a polite child. "Thank you."

And Dark found himself very grateful for the existence of lizards.

Five: No matter who the sixteen year old girl is, she is still like every other sixteen year old girl.

To be specific, teenage girls—like the boys—were hormonal. Princess Riku was no exception.

Dark had the tact to keep his comments to himself.

She was too good, too proper to admit it, and much too fierce to actually act on her teenage whims. But he noticed how subtly she felt his body as he carried her on his back (his heavy armor had been disposed of back in the tower, so he was left only his dark pants and a very fitting shirt that he normally wore under heavier armor), and based on how often her hands traced over his pectorals and abdomen muscles, she at the very least, appreciated his physique.

He was unabashedly pleased by this.

It was not like he was immune either. Dark may have been older by a few years, and definitely way more experienced when it came to the opposite sex, but having a cute girl press her body on his back and feeling him up was not doing his own hormones any favors. At least Riku was the sort of person who needed to fill silences with words, so he was able to momentarily distract himself.

"After we leave the forest, we need to head east. My sister is residing in the village my mother grew up in, and I know it is east, close to the sea, across the port town, Vitem.

"Okay, so we are going to have to find a boat to get to the Diem lands—"he started before Riku scoffed. The sound vibrated in her chest, which Dark was all too aware of.

"We don't need a boat. We have Wiz."

Said creature was resting on top of Dark's violet and messy head, curled up in a tiny ball and sleeping soundly.

"I don't follow," he quickly responded. He could not see it, but he practically felt Riku roll her eyes.

"Wiz is a shape shifter. He will shift into a dragon (maybe he should stay white, or maybe navy to blend in with the night sky) and carry us across the sea." She sounded almost excited about the idea.

"Then why don't we have him do that now?" he didn't mean to sound bitter about walking, but he did and Riku felt slightly guilty about making him carry her.

"Wiz can only shift for a few hours, and since it is daytime now, he would be easier to spot. Remember, we have to make sure the witch does not notice I left the tower, or that we are heading to where the real Risa has been the last ten years."

Dark nodded to show his comprehension. At least, their possibly month long trip would take only two weeks if all went according to plan. Then he would know for sure if Risa, the other princess, was meant for Daisuke or himself.

He was really hoping Risa was not his bride.

Six: Riku was actually a princess who knew how to defend herself.

For someone who was scared of touching lizards, Riku did not bat an eyelash at the group of five or so thieves that found them on the forest path. Now, Dark had no problem with facing thieves. He was the Black Knight after all, and he was the best knight in the Niwa kingdom. But he had a princess now who never encountered them before, and he knew he would have to be a little more guarded this time around.

"What do we have here?" one of them sneered. "What a lovely couple, being so intimate out in public."

Both Riku and Dark looked at each other once he put her down on the ground with Wiz on top of their shared bag. They each exchanged a rather confused stare since neither of them believed giving a piggy-back ride was considered "intimate." Still, Dark found that the best lies were those others thought up first.

"Yep, me and my fiancée here are humble travelers with not much on us, so why don't we all go about our merry way." Dark pulled her close him with one arm secured on her waist. She glared at him, but was a reasonable princess to not contradict him and play along.

"Sorry, but no can do," another thief jumped in. "We control this part of the forest, and we are not in the business of letting money slip past us, no matter how pretty your girl happens to be."

"You know how it is. It's a living," Another thief shrugged.

"That it is." Dark smiled and faced his "fiancée" who only stared at him with a bemused expression. "My darling, would you be so kind as to step back. I could not bear the thought at having you get hurt."

"Okay," Riku replied, her amber eyes twinkling fiercely, as though there were flames hidden in them. "But you're not allowed to get hurt. Do you understand...Honey?"

Dark gave her a quick peck on her forehead before facing his opponents. They came at him before he had time to pull out his sword, but that still did not deter him. While they fought dirty, they did not have his strength or finesse. He practically glided when he jumped over them and lightly injured them all. The battle was practically over before it began. When he counted the unconscious bodies, he noticed that one was most definitely missing. It was the thief that called Riku pretty. When he realized it, a river of fury coursed through his veins. He assumed the worst and was prepared to kill when he spun around to save Riku.

Only, she seemed to be doing just fine.

The thief had a thin sword and was flailing around dangerously, but she was faster, more observant, and most definitely more clever. Once she backed up enough and moved out of the way, the thief struck and stuck his sword into the tree. Riku took this opportunity to pull out a dagger she hid in her trousers and used the handle to strike his head unconscious. The thief fell to the ground and without wasting time, Riku searched his body for anything worth taking.

"What?" she finally asked as she pocketed a few coins when Dark kept standing in his spot with an open mouth.

"I…how…_where _did you learn to do that?"

Riku only shrugged. "Wiz and book. I was in a tower by myself for ten years. I learned a few things."

He did not even respond to that. He was used to the whole damsel in distress bit that this scenario put him at a loss for words.

Seven: Fighting off a group of thieves together makes you friends. Or at the very least, friendly acquaintances.

Riku figured that Dark was at least noble enough to protect her and fight without spilling blood if possible. So she decided that while she was still wary of his Pelvic Sorcery, which she heard so much about, and the improper feelings he stirred inside her, she would try to be nice and respectful for the man who put her safety first.

"I have to admit, you were rather dashing," she said which pulled him out of his stupor. "I never saw a knight in action, but you were actually impressive."

Was she flirting? No, she was not, he decided. This girl knew pretty words that were written in letters, but subtle flirting was not something she could have known. Dark shook off his nerves but could not ignore the intense beating of his heart. It fluttered like hummingbird's wings. "I aim to please."

"So, are we lovers now?" she asked innocently. His heart jumped at least a few feet. "Are we telling people that? It makes sense. We are a man and woman traveling together, and we don't look similar to pass off as siblings."

"Sure. Yes. That's right. If we encounter others, we will say that we are lovers about to wed." It made sense, but his heart was beating to a samba.

"We should also not reveal our names, so in public, you should continue to call me 'darling' and I will call you 'honey.' Is that alright?" She asked with wide, pure eyes, that he almost felt guilty for being so pleased with the ruse she was coming up with.

"That is quite alright, darling."

Eight: Riku was almost like a happy, healthy virus.

"I have never been sick in my life. Ever," she told him when he suggested she put her shoes back on when the sun was setting down. She was back on his back and he carried her with ease, but he warned that the night air in the forest was not kind to bare skin, and she should do well to stay warm if she did not want to catch a cold.

"You've also never been outside your tower," he countered. She poked his cheek with her point finger, something she was now in the habit of doing when he carried her and she wanted him to pay extra attention to her words. The gesture was downright cute that he looked forward to when her skin touched his.

"Even before I was in the tower, I have never been sick. Risa used to catch colds and get scrapes when we were kids, but I never did. Even if I fell, I would get up without a problem. When I was playing outside in the rain with Risa, she needed a doctor to come by and I slept soundly. So, I can say with confidence that even if I don't wear shoes, I won't fall ill."

He sighed heavily. "Well, I will still feel better knowing that you are warm."

"Well, it is getting late. Shouldn't we stop and make a fire?"

When they found a decent spot, Riku and Wiz played around their camp while Dark set up a tent for her and a sleeping area outside for him. She laughed as Wiz, now awake, cooed and flew around the fire chasing her. Though he should have been tired from their journey, he was energized just watching her. Whatever she had, it was contagious, and when all was set, he found himself laughing like a child and chasing Wiz around. He had not laughed like that since he was truly a boy, and it was though his chest was opening up to let out years of fighting, weariness, and having to _prove something _out, and letting in a music of positivity and freedom instead. When they were done playing, Dark sat down and wiped his sweat from his brow away with a cloth, still smiling. Was this what it was like to be away from the kingdom? Was this what it was like to be away from judging eyes and a court of nobles who still only saw him as the bastard brother?

No, he had left the kingdom many times for various quests, and this feeling of freedom was exciting and novel to him. He suspected it was because of this girl, so small and fierce who was only just tasting the cool air and feeling a crackling fire outside of the tower she was forced to call home.

"You look handsome this way," she commented suddenly. When he looked at her agape, she blushed but did not retract her statement. "I mean, you look normal like this. There is no armor or strange smirks, or cocky attitudes right now. I think just like this, is your best look."

Again, she spoke in such a matter of fact way that he knew not to interpret it as her trying to appease to his vanity or to want something more.

"You're not so bad yourself, Princess," he exclaimed back at her. She grinned at him, not realizing his playful nature. She, luckily, did not interpret it as flirtatious, since he doubted she knew what that sort of behavior looked like. Though if he were honest, he was very flirtatious with the pretty princess that made him feel young and free again.

"Of course I am not. I am a princess after all," she replied back.

When she handed him a piece of bread and their fingers brushed against each other's briefly, he knew he was in trouble.

Nine: Princess Riku was going to end up playing him like a harp.

It was in the smiles she gave him. They were sincere, real, and hid nothing, and she was giving them more frequently, now that she was not as guarded as she was before. He was not sure what part of him convinced her not to throw heavy objects at his head, or to look at him consistently with a look of disdain, but he was grateful for it nonetheless.

In was in the way she laughed. There was nothing but joy in that melodic sound, and she was too contagious. Things he found dull were lively. Things he found troublesome were now intriguing.

It was in the way she bit her lip when she was trying to explain something, even if it was as simple as the constellations. She would point them out to him, naming them all and explaining why they were named so. She loved the sky and would reach out her hand as though she wanted to touch a star for herself.

It was in the way she moved. She was graceful and lithe, but there was clumsiness to some of her actions. More than once did Dark find himself grabbing her arm to pull her up from a possible tumble. She would smile graciously and thank him, but she never learned. She was wild in that way. For someone used to being surrounded by walls, Riku was fearless in that she did what she wanted without holding back. She explored the trees and danced around the fire. In that way, she was the most dangerous girl he ever encountered.

And he knew he would do anything she wished.

Ten: Dark knew that he would not survive two weeks with her.

"You should sleep. We should probably get up early when dawn breaks," he instructed her when he caught her yawning.

"You are likely right." She stood up without warning and brushed some of the dirt off her trousers. When she turned to face him again, she curtsied ever so slightly. He bowed back to her.

"Have a good night, Princess," he spoke in a voice he didn't recognize. It was gentle and full of an emotion he did not recognize.

She did not notice. "Good night, Black Knight. Rest well." Before she went into the small tent he set up for her, she looked at him once more. "I am sorry for my behavior earlier. After today, I realized that if there had to be a person I had to make this journey with, I am glad it was you."

When she did get inside and left him alone with his thoughts, Dark found himself burying his face in his hands, feeling the way his cheeks burned from her words. The girl was wild and dangerous, that much he knew.

He knew he wouldn't last two weeks with her without falling in love.

* * *

_**Ultra Special Blah Blah Blah: **__A couple things…_

_First off, thank you for reading! Like I said, this story is still in the works of being planned, but I love writing these two so much, and I want it to be very different from most of my DarkxRiku fics. Though if I am honest, I love writing the Casanova Dark as the one who falls in love first. I don't know why, but I love it. Please mind the mistakes, I tend to edit them later, and if you spot any, feel free to let me know. This fic will be likely twenty chapters, which is impressive since it will be my longest DN Angel fic. _

_ToGetHer will be edited in a few weeks. It is such juvenile writing in comparison to now, but I have a soft spot for it, and since it was the fic that brought me back into DN Angel, I don't want to take it down. _

_A special thanks goes to __**Sister of the Pharaoh **__for her encouraging words, plot bunnies, and overall support of my writing in this corner of the fandom. Also, I will get to your story idea for sure, so thanks for the request!_

_Also, thank you **sonder this **for your thought out review. Some issues will be addressed, and some fixed when I get around to editing. Thanks for the support, and enjoy the ride to the end!_

_On a personal note, and am going to shamelessly plug this in, I am self publishing an ebook! It is a young adult realistic fiction novel! You don't have to have a kindle to read it, you can just download the kindle app for free and read it on your phone, tablet, computer, whatever. _

_The book is called "In Search of my Teenage Romance" and it is actually the second novel I wrote, and sometimes I think it is crap, but it is actually very important to me, and when I wrote it, it helped me deal with a lot of things. _

_In any case, it is available for pre-order! It is $3.99, so if you have 4 dollars to spare, I would appreciate it! Also, if you have Amazon prime, you can borrow the book for free. _

_I am not writing to make money and it isn't my full time job. I just want to put my writing out there and maybe entertain someone. So, if you want to help make my dreams come true, that would be great! And I would seriously appreciate it. _

In Search of my Teenage Romance

{not a love story}

by Celia Inez

He lived a pretty charmed life with few concerns. Before meeting the fierce Lena King, the only things he had to worry about was acing physics, curbing his jealousy over his perfect best friend, Jun, and not to take Sophie seriously when she went crazy over school. Then he met Lena, and she took over his world like a flame. It got worse when he discovered her secret and felt bound to her forever.

But as it turns out, real life is not as easy as all the romance novels. He is starting to realize that maybe this is not his story, and Lena has more secrets that he is not ready for. How is he supposed to deal with his feelings for Lena, high school, and the fact that his best friend is falling in love with the girl of his dreams?

_www. amazon gp / product / B013TFSM48 __just delete the spaces in between! _

_Thanks!_

_xoxo_


	4. Chapter 3: A Tale of Two Brothers

**A Sorta Fairy Tale**

**Chapter Three: A Tale of Two Brothers**

**_a/n: _**_I own nothing except the credit card bills I have due to moving. Please mind the typos._

* * *

While Dark and Riku are resting and going about the mundane parts of their journeys (narrators rarely feel like describing every time the protagonists have to stop to eat or sleep, and other aspects that just don't make for a good story), we are going to go back in time to when a young, red headed boy had a dream that changed his entire life.

Prince Daisuke of the Niwa Lands was a serene and gentle young man whose kindness was legendary across his kingdom. As the legitimate heir of the kingdom, he was trained since birth on how to rule, and more importantly, how to be good.

Prince Daisuke was born with a fragile heart, and as such, could not initially participate in rigorous activities young boys his age could do. When he was five, the king and queen worried over him, and called for the oracle. The oracle was used to making house trips, so being called to the Niwa lands was nothing spectacular. However, when she took a look at the young boy with such wide eyes, she cackled.

"Goodness, this one is going to grow strong and adored. You honestly have nothing to worry about."

Queen Emiko was not convinced since her son was so small and hardly spoke, even though he was at the age when boys began to play with wooden swords and get whisked on adventures by magical beings. Eventually, the oracle gave up her usual stand on remaining vague and ominous and told the queen up front that there was another son that would serve as his guardian if she was all that worried.

As one can imagine, the queen, did not take this news very well.

While the queen rampaged and yelled at her king (who was understandably confused since he was a faithful sort of man, if not socially awkward), the oracle spent the night talking to the boy prince, who spoke quite a bit in contrast to what his mother believed.

"Do you know who you are, boy?"

"Of course I do. I am Prince Daisuke of the Niwa Lands. And you are the oracle."

The oracle was pleased, but carried on her interrogation. "Why does the queen mother believe you don't speak well?"

"Because I do not speak to her," he answered politely. "I know that Mother will not want to know about the boy, and he is all I wish to speak about."

At this, even the oracle could not contain her glee. This prince was quite in tune with the cosmos that she dealt with on a daily basis. "Describe the boy."

If the red headed prince thought it was weird of this woman to look so excited over a dream (and he did find it quite odd), he never showed it. "He is very wild and is searching for something. He is bigger than me. And cooler. " Prince Daisuke noted. "But I think I am nicer," he added as an afterthought.

The oracle urged him to continue, much to his mild annoyance. "His hair is dark, like the new night sky. His eyes are fierce and look at the world with disregard…I do not know what else to say."

"Do you know who the boy is?"

Prince Daisuke closed his eyes in thought, somehow knowing the answer as it always appeared to him in his dreams: a man with long blonde hair holding an hourglass with a familiar light inside.

"He is a part of me, isn't he?"

The oracle only patted the small boy on the head and left without a sound. The Niwa castle was spent in a state of misdirected rage from the queen for a few weeks before the young prince, weary of his father being unable to explain himself and his mother's understandable but tiring bouts of anger, calmly but firmly told his mother than his father was not at fault and in fact, the boy was from the Queen's blood alone. This quickly pacified the young, beautiful, but energetic queen.

For a time, all was normal.

* * *

About a month later, the boy had arrived to the castle.

Prince Daisuke stared at him with awe, and how could he not? The boy had evaded the castle guards, picked every lock with ease, and cleverly beat the knights in the throne room. He looked exactly as the prince dreamed him: dark violet hair growing lopsided, now wet from the rain, deep burning purple eyes, and a cool air about him that radiated from every single pore in his body. When he stood in front of the king, queen, and the awed prince, he bowed and walked with purpose until he was close enough to give the queen a note.

"A letter from the oracle," the boy explained in a stoic voice, void of any internal emotion or conflict. For a moment, he and the prince made eye contact, but the older one broke away first.

Prince Daisuke never read the contents of the letter, but he surmised what it stated. He dreamed of the boy, after all, for many years, and pieced together the puzzle of his identity. When the queen finished reading the letter's contents, she passed it over to the king, and then crouched down to embrace the strange child.

"You will live here, with us, as part of the royal family. Unfortunately, our laws cannot be bent, and Daisuke will remain as the heir to the throne. But we will all love you until our dying breaths. In advance, I apologize for the cruelty others outside will show you. We cannot explain your existence, and you will have to carry the title of the queen's bastard son."

The boy was stoic for awhile, but even he could not resist the warmth of a mother's embrace, especially after lacking it for the seven years of his life. When the queen did let him go, Prince Daisuke went to greet him, and smiled openly.

"I am Prince Daisuke of the Niwa lands, and your younger brother," he welcomed him. The boy did not smile, but there was a light in those purple eyes that betrayed his stony demeanor.

"I am Dark, with no land to call for my own. And I am your older brother."

* * *

He was given the name Mousy, after the Queen's father. It took very little time for Dark to grow devoted to his younger brother. With Dark around, Daisuke blossomed, laughed, and played. The older brother taught him how to properly carry a sword, what compliments can charm even the most stoic of maids, and what berries not to eat on a casual stroll in the forest. Dark, being so young and strong, was immediately trained to be a knight, and despite protests of conservative advisers, Daisuke quickly chose him as his personal knight. Each passing year, Daisuke's frail health seemed to evaporate, and for that, the Queen was thankful for the mysterious boy. No harm came to the prince, and as they both grew handsome and fair, they were known as the Gentle Prince and the Black Knight.

Despite the scowls from court nobles, the royal family treated the knight with utmost care and respect, and in a small way, Dark enjoyed the freedom that came with his "Bastard Son" title. He did not have to adhere to the same rules as his younger brother, and thus was able to act as he pleased. Daisuke's loyalty to him never wavered to him, and likewise, Dark's did not as well.

This was tested upon the arrival of a letter.

Dark happened to come upon it first. The white dove who delivered it must have gotten confused when it woke him up, perched on his bedroom windowsill with a letter attached to its leg. It nipped his fingers aggressively until Dark fed it some sweet bread, and the raven stood still in his room, waiting for the letter's reply. It was addressed in hurried but neat writing _To the Niwa Prince_ and by all accounts, that meant he should have delivered the letter to his brother straightaway, but he curiously did not wish to. There was something in the way the letter felt, a hidden aura, a lingering feeling that drew him in. So even though the Black Knight, who while technically was a prince, but not necessarily so, opened the letter and read its contents over and over until he memorized it.

_To the Niwa Prince,_

_You do not know me, nor do I know you. I only know that you are my only hope of being free._

_A long time ago, a witch forced me to go into hiding. I will not go into details quite yet should this letter fall into the wrong hands._

_I am not so weak, but I am rather lonely. Every morning, just before the sun rises, I catch myself staring longingly at the sky, wondering what it feels like to have the morning dew in between my toes, or to feel the warmth of the sun's rays on my cheeks as it slowly rises and paints the sky in hues of pink and orange. I long to be loved and wanted after so many years of solitude._

_I wonder if you feel the way I do. Only a man worthy of being my soul mate can come and retrieve me from this tower, but I would like it if you understood me and my suffering. I would like to be able to know each other well, our deepest fears and insecurities, our goals and desires. I wish to be able to comfort you because I understand what it means to feel alone. I wish to be your equal. I wish to be able to love you as I hope you could come to love me._

_However, in order for that to happen, please come save me. I will wait however long I must, but please save me._

_Yours truly, should you wish it,_

_The Princess in the Tower_

He understood the Princess in the Tower quite well. As much as he loved his family, as much as he adored Daisuke and the perks of being the Black Knight, for as long as he could remember, he had felt something missing. It was as though there was a hole in his heart that longed to be filled. There was a piece of him that was missing, and he knew it would not be filled until he knew what his purpose was in the world, why he was created, and whether or not someone could love and understood a lonely monster such as him.

_I will come save you, princess. Just wait for me._

He penned the simple letter and returned it to the white dove, who cooed and nipped him affectionately before taking flight. Though he did not know her name, what she looked like, or even if she was honest. But at the moment, it did not matter for him. Not since the day the oracle found him and told him to break into the Niwa castle had Dark felt so excited. He started wondering more about her and looking at his windowsill before he slept to check if the dove made a return.

It never did.

* * *

Seasons changed and the days moved on, and so despite his excitement, the Black Knight buried any thoughts of this princess and carried on with his duties of protecting the Prince, flirting with the women of the kingdom, and wear the title of the Bastard Son with pride. When he came back to the castle on a rainy night, Daisuke was waiting in his room with a pleasant smile and the white dove perched on his shoulder.

Dark froze.

"Brother! I wanted to show you something interesting; I think I finally am called to an adventure. I think it is the most exciting adventure of all. I think I will fall in love."

Daisuke was just a boy of sixteen, at the cusp of manhood, and even though Dark recognized the hurried but neat writing, he kept silent on the matter. He put on the most encouraging smile that tended to work on barmaids when they would initially refuse to serve him any more pints of alcohol.

"And who are you planning on falling in love with, little brother?"

"The Hamada Princess in the Tower."

The correspondence went on for a year. Daisuke wrote to the princess every week, and the white dove would waste no time in delivering a response. After the one year, it was Daisuke decided that it was time to free the princess from the tower by defeating the dragon and protecting her from the witch that threatened her safety. The castle was filled with chaos from the worried Queen and the advisers to the Gentle Prince. For weeks, as Daisuke cheerfully made preparations, the Queen begged him not to go with no success. Finally, the day before her son was to make his journey, she went to the loyal knight for help.

For his part, Dark played the role of the good big brother well during this time. He was supportive of his younger brother and burned the first letter he received from the princess, and tried his best to put her out of his mind. After all, if Daisuke was in love, then he deserved her. Besides, a princess would prefer to marry a prince and not the bastard son who had no claim to the throne.

When the Queen came to see him, she bowed graciously, and in that moment, Dark felt the affection he had first tasted when she opened up her arms and embraced him with a mother's warmth. It did not take long for her to make her case, and Dark promised to always protect his younger brother.

That night, he went to see him, and Daisuke allowed him in as he always did. Whether or not he expected Dark to stop his journey remained a mystery.

"You are staying here, little brother. I will go in your place." Dark said this so firmly that Daisuke allowed a chuckle to escape.

"Now, I can't have that," he responded with all the pleasant grace he was known for. "I'm the one who was writing to her. I am her fiance and promised to wed her. So I should be the one to save her."

Dark knelt at the prince, showing nothing but respect for the younger boy. However, he could not bear to break his adoptive mother's heart. "If you wish to go and save the woman you love, then I will not stop you. I only ask that I accompany you as your knight."

Daisuke's flat reaction was not one Dark expected. Once Dark glanced at him skeptically, Daisuke laughed nervously with his eyes closed and his hand scratching the back of his head, a habit, Dark noted, he only did when he was trying to hide something.

"Daisuke…"Dark started, but his younger sibling only laughed more.

"Daiiiiiisssssssuuuukeeeeeeee," Dark growled seriously, which mildly calmed the other boy. Mildly.

"Yes?"

"Daisuke, Gentle Prince of the Niwa Lands who is set to go on a terrible and dangerous journey tomorrow morning, do you love the Harada princess?"

"Weeeeeeell, I don't _dislike _her…"

"Daisuke!" Dark could not believe it. If it was not so undignified to face fault on the ground, he would have done so.

"Look, I don't love her. I don't really know her. However, she does seem like a kind and gentle girl, and I am sure I will like her well enough."

"You are _not _risking your life for someone you only like _well enough_!" Dark bellowed. "You are going to stay here, be the Gentle Prince, and _I _will save your princess!"

"Dark, dear brother, I can't let you do that. I wish to go myself." Daisuke tried to argue, but Dark was in no mood.

"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride! You are staying and that's final. I will bring this up tomorrow morning in front of the advisers, so just let me do this for you!"

Daisuke only laughed again, but promised that if the advisers and the queen would approve of him going in his place, he would not fight the decision. Only, of course, if they approved. Dark knew what that meant; it meant that the advisers had to acknowledge him, something they had trouble doing in all the years he had lived as the Bastard Son.

Sure enough, the following morning, the advisers cried out that "He cannot make that journey!" Daisuke feebly reasoned, "But she's to be my fiancée, so I should be the one to rescue her."

Dark smiled at his brother, knowing that he had won their argument. To the public, Prince Daisuke was too gentle and not one to debate his mother or the advisers, but Dark knew him to be firm and commanding when he needed to be.

"You're the next prince! You cannot be in danger!"

"But I'm her letter correspondent!"

Dark stepped forward, ready for his journey. "I can go."

He could see it on their faces; relief splashed on to them like a tidal wave, and he was receiving all the support and praise that they denied him the moment when he initially came to the castle. If it was to save their heir, their beloved prince, then they would admit that Dark was the best knight in the kingdom and capable of doing great things. Surprisingly, Dark did not grow angry with them, but gave a respectful bow to his brother, the king, and to the Queen who looked at him with gratitude.

Dark rode out with great speed and vigor; if he stopped, he felt as though the bubble inside him would burst. This was his moment, the day he desperately wished for, though he did not know it. All he knew what that this journey and that princess would change everything.

* * *

After the Black Knight set out on his journey, Daisuke returned to his room to find the oracle resting on his bed. When she spotted him, she stood and bowed.

"It has been a long time," he greeted her.

"You've grown up strong." She replied knowingly. "I am only here to ask after a few things: why did you allow your knight to rescue your princess?"

"She is not my princess," Daisuke explained politely.

The oracle grinned with glee. She was rather fond of this polite, strong, but mysterious prince. "How do mean that?"

"Some time ago," he shrugged at her. "I had a dream and in it, my brother looked so happy with the princess, and somehow, I knew she was not the one for me."

"I am not wrong in my matter. The Princess in the Tower, is meant to be rescued by the Niwa Prince. I am afraid this is where you are wrong."

"I think you are mistaken." Daisuke was a pleasant prince, but knew when there was a time to be strong and firm, and this was such a time. "And if there is a chance I can grant my brother happiness, I will."

"At the cost of your own?"

"My brother's happiness will be my own."

The oracle was quite fond of the prince, but at the moment, she wanted nothing more than to rip her hair out and make him see reason. Nearly twenty years of planning would go down the drain if Dark was the one the Princess who could control life loved.

"There is a way to settle this, you know." The oracle smirked, knowing that if she couldn't convince the prince, she could at least set him on the right path. "The Princess has a sister. She is feisty and spirited, though she does not carry the same powers as the other princess, she is good. Go to her, and maybe you will that your brother was meant for that child."

At this news, Daisuke's eyes widened. Perhaps he made the mistake after all. "Do you mean that there was always someone for my brother?"

The oracle smirked and beckoned the prince to come closer. When he was just mere centimeters away, she really had to marvel at how well he grew. Maybe he was no jaw dropping knight like Dark Mousy, but this boy growing up to be a fine man was certainly easy on the eyes. He noticed her appraisal and smiled warmly, bending down slightly to get closer to her height. It was different from the moment they first met when he was just a child. Now, he towered over her, and if she were a young, human woman, her heart might have skipped a beat.

"You know, after all these years, I never asked for your name," he commented. In his mind, he noted that she had the prettiest silver hair, like starlight or the thread of a spider's web.

"No one ever does," she replied briskly.

"Well, I am asking now. Oracle, what is your actual name?"

She was quick, and maybe if he suspected it, he would have reacted sooner. But the kiss tasted like past lives, fleeting dreams, and strangely enough, chocolate. An image of an eastern village flooded his mind.

"I was given the name Towa. Head east, your majesty. And do well to save the princess."

The following morning, the queen woke up and promptly wrecked havoc in the castle when she found her son missing from his quarters.

_Good morning mother and everyone else,_

_I am off on a journey. Do not worry; I will not be heading to the Princess's Tower. Perhaps, however, I will meet up with my brother. I have utmost faith that Father and her highness, you, my dear Queen mother, will handle things quite fine. Please make sure to care for my bonsai tree._

_Yours truly,_

_Prince Daisuke of the Niwa Lands_

As the Gentle Prince rode off into the horizon, off an adventure on his own with bits of his wild red hair flowing with the wind, a stable boy named Satoshi fell ill. However, that story is for another day.

* * *

**_Ultra Special Blah Blah Blah: _**_A couple things…_

_I am editing random parts to most of my fics. Just to make it easier to read without all the missing words and spelling mistakes. Chances are, I will still somehow forget to correct a word or something. Sigh...patience..._

_xoxo_


	5. Chapter 4: Birth of a Black Heart

**A Sorta Fairy Tale**

**Chapter Four: Birth of a Black Heart**

_**a/n: **__I own nothing except the credit card bills I have due to the holidays_

* * *

There was no way he could have known, but Satoshi fell ill on the day Prince Niwa set off to the destination he happened to be staying at the moment. He grew up in the Diem Lands, born in a small village many miles away from the Green Tree village. He grew up poor but clever and according to his former caretakers, he came from a powerful family. Satoshi never had a desire to find this supposed family. After all, they left him to his own devices and he long ago decided that he did not need that sort of negativity in his life.

Unfortunately, on his seventeenth birthday, he received a visit from a member of his supposed powerful family. He claimed to be a being gathering power to find a princess and Satoshi quickly closed the door, packed a few things, and snuck out of his village. Satoshi tried to have as little negativity around him as possible, and the beautiful gold person claiming to be a witch was clearly to be a source of it.

Satoshi was a practical sort of young man, so he was smart about his traveling. He never brought too much attention to himself, packed enough rations to last him at least a week of traveling, brought out his father figure's compass to avoid getting lost, and wore a cloak that hid his light hair from strangers.

He would have gotten far if not for the rain.

Satoshi was a good and practical young man, but no one can properly prepare for the weather if one does not study the sky as frequently as the Black Knight who made many journeys, a Fake Tower Princess who had books for company and is strangely in tune with the sky, or a Princess in Hiding who can understand the whispers of the trees.

He woke up in a small cottage that smelled of roses and herbs. His body felt heavy like lead, but he attempted to rise anyway. It was when he sat up that he noticed his clothes were stripped away from him, and he was clothed in a very simple shirt and slacks and it strikes him then that someone must have seen him naked. He feels his face burn at the thought but thankfully, no one is around to witness it.

Eventually, he drifted back to sleep, and when he opened his eyes again, a pretty girl with delicate eyes flooded his vision. She hummed a sweet melody and in the corner of his eye, he sees the flowers dancing.

He drifted back to sleep.

He woke up again to the humming. It was twilight outside, and the girl was tending to her succulents, all booming dessert flowers, curiously so since there was no sand on these lands. He didn't drift to dream this time, and soon, the leaves of her plants shook and she faced him. She smiled like a doll, and Satoshi found it hard to maintain his composure. She was pretty like a dream and sweeter than milk, and he had no experience with girls his age, so he remained silent as she checks him temperature.

"I found you under the White Bark Tree. You've been asleep for two days," she explained to him. Everything about her seemed delicate, from her voice to her thin fingers.

"Were you the one who undressed me?" he asked with mild embarrassment.

The girl stared at him and rolled her large eyes. "You were cold and soaked to the bone. Of course I undressed you." She surprisingly answered without shame. "I figured keeping you from succumbing to a cold more important that keeping your privacy."

"Ah, right. Thank you," he said hurriedly. Taking a good look at his surroundings, he noticed the cottage was just big enough for one person to live there. There was a pile of blankets on the ground, and it was with dread that he noticed he took up the only bed. "I am sorry to burden you like this."

"Oh, that's alright." The girl noticed his gaze. "This is nothing. It's a bit fun to have someone here. There are people in the village I can talk to, but there are rarely any boys that come through."

Satoshi was starting to get the feeling that he opened up a lid to a very talkative box. The girl, Risa as she quickly let him know, was an excitable girl. She lived in the cottage by herself that was perched in the branches of the Deep Willow Tree. She never said it, but Satoshi picked up on her ability to manipulate the leaves and flowers to her whim.

"I decided to live on my own since everyone kept stifling me." She had finished telling him about her life in the Green Tree Village, her previous home. "I mean, the aunties are great and all, but sometimes, a girl has to spread her legs a little. You understand."

He didn't really, nor did he know why she assumed he would. She answered this unasked query by also telling him that she knew what village he was from based on the clothes and food he brought, and the travelling dandelions told her, so he couldn't deny it. She spoke so much and about too little that he actually understood, so she was a bit overwhelming to Satoshi who, may everyone be reminded, did not have any experience with girls his own age. The only coherent thought he could build together ended up being a very cool, "Do all girls talk this much?"

Even he knew he was callous. Risa, who was bouncing with energy mere seconds ago, quieted down to the floor with a melancholy look in her deep brown eyes. Immediately, he tried to apologize, but even sadness could not keep Risa quiet for long.

"I don't know. My sister didn't. She was never this loud. Or maybe she was, and I just never let her talk. I wish I had, because maybe I would be able to remember all the important bits."

Satoshi did not know what to respond to that, but now that the quiet he silently asked for was here, he found it uncomfortable.

"You have a sister?" he asked.

Some light came back. "An older sister, sort of. She and I were always together. Riku is stronger than me in so many ways. She never got sick. She never got hurt. Even when she fell, she never got cut or bruised the way I did. Riku is also prettier," she added as an afterthought. "She maybe didn't think she was, but Riku was like the sun.

"It's my fault that she's gone. I was such a baby. Too scared to do the one thing I was supposed to and Riku went and…I miss her. I want to see her."

There were many holes in her story, but Satoshi already did not trust himself to doubt her. "Why can't you see her? You don't know where she is?"

"I know where she is…but I can't leave this forest."

"Yeah, I'd been meaning to ask…" Now that he was awake, Satoshi took in his surroundings. He had only travelled for four days before he fell ill due to the rain, but he did not recognize the forest that they were in. "Where are we?"

At his question, Risa began to play with her hair and sheepishly smiled. "This forest was made by well…me."

"What." Satoshi spoke after the beat.

"I…made the forest."

"How do you…you can't just make a forest!" He was feeling dizzy, not unlike how he felt when he met his supposed family member who claimed to be a witch.

"Look, it isn't something I normally go bragging about!" Risa shrieked in a high voice. "But you cannot say you have not noticed something strange about me."

There were quite a bit of things he found strange about her. Her need to fill silence and unnaturally shiny hair were some, but he was also very observant. He saw how the orchids bloomed at her calling, and the vines dance when she smiled.

"I don't know why I can do what I do, but it is the reason why Riku had to take my place. No one really explained anything except that a witch is after me."

Satoshi shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the witch. The way Risa went on about the witch made him realize she believed the witch was a woman and not a tall, beautiful, blonde man who claimed to be a witch and a member of his family.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what is going on, but I am sorry you were separated from your family." His words were not all what she expected, and Satoshi fumbled over his next few lines. "I don't know my real family, and I don't care for them—so I cannot…I don't really understand."

"That's fine. You don't have to understand." She said it quietly and paused in thought. A twinkle of mischief came to her eyes which made Satoshi uncomfortable. "But you are in my debt."

There was a beat of silence before young, painfully awkward Satoshi could find his voice. "What."

"You are in my debt. I saved your life. And I know how it can be repaid."

She never let him answer. The petals began to dance and she took his hands in hers like a prayer. "Find my sister."

"No."

The cottage seemed to be devoid of air for about an hour, but no more than four seconds had passed before Risa, enveloped in anger without her sister to tell her to stop being a brat whenever she did not get her way, willed the vines to grab onto the boy's ankles and turn him upside down.

"What do you mean, no?" she asked in a low voice. It sent Satoshi chills, and not in the good way.

"Look, I just don't think you'd want me to go if you knew why I left my village in the first place. I am starting to think I shouldn't have even met you!"

"Well, I can talk to flowers but I can't read minds, so you're just going to have to tell me why you, a healthy and relatively strong looking boy can't find my dear sister!"

"You don't want to know!"

"I clearly do!"

"No you don't!"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't ask!"

This went on for some time that even the sun was tired of it and set without fanfare. Eventually, the blood rush to the head did enough to loosen his thoughts and mouth. "I'm related to the witch you hate!"

Immediately, he fell down to the ground with a loud thump that certainly bruised his scalp. When he sat up, Risa was next to him, her eyes unreadable but quiet.

"Then that is even more reason for you to go find her."

Satoshi said nothing, the fear of angering her still there, but there was enough in him to be surprised by her words.

"You cannot help who your family is and I am sorry that is your burden. But you can be better. I messed up with my sister. Please help me make that better."

Perhaps the young Satoshi, who was as antisocial as they come, had a hard time saying no to cute girls with large brown eyes, or maybe he truly did have to repay a debt. Perhaps he did have to absolve himself of the sins of his family to purge out the negativity in his life. Maybe it was because he had a feeling the trees would punish him if he refused the request of this surprisingly scary girl, but he found himself violently seasick on a boat across the Sirius Sea, huddled in a cave outside the Diem Lands, and face to face with the sword belonging to a tall and livid Black Knight.

He supposed he understood the anger. When he fell down from exhaustion from the tree he was sitting in for shelter, he landed on a soft body with his hand comfortably handling a small, but pleasant breast.

"Ri-" he began but was shoved aside as the girl was pulled up and away from him. The knight with the murderous look stood in front of her protectively. The girl placed a hand on his shoulder and softly chastised him with a "Honey…"

That seemed to do the trick. Unbeknownst to the young Satoshi, exhausted from his travels, the girl he groped and the Knight he thoroughly pissed off, had been traveling for just over four days, and that was enough for Dark to form a strong attachment to the Princess.

The Princess was still on the fence. She felt a deep connection with the Knight who was nothing short of the gentleman that his smile and subdued gentleness did something to her stomach. It twisted and danced and her denial of it caused her to term the movement as the "Dark Twist." The Dark Twist made an appearance every time he would attempt to tell a joke, which were never funny, but the Princess had to bite her cheeks to prevent even the hint of a smile. The Dark Twist showed up when he carried her on his back, which he did everyday with no complaints, and the Twist only made itself more prominent if Dark managed to contact her skin in any way.

Riku was annoyed. But damn it all if she were to say anything. She chalked the whole thing up to not being used to physical contact. After all, for ten years, Wiz was the only thing she had to hug, hold, and touch, and as cute as Wiz was, it was not the same as being held by strong arms.

So she was starved for human contact. That was fine. That was normal. Riku was not clear on what normal meant, but she decided it was this. Which was why it was so curious that this boy who fell on top of her and touched her breast quite openly did not warrant a variation of the Dark Twist.

But she had to think about that later. As Dark looked only about two seconds away from slicing up a man like paper for dishonoring her, so she did what any young girl would do if a beautiful man became incensed because of her.

She got unabashedly pleased about it.

But then she did the right thing and tried to calm down the Black Knight from spilling blood. The boy was hardly at fault, and he did look pale and ready to be sick all over the ground.

"Honey," she repeated, trying to sound natural, but the word grew harder to say the more she used it. "We should let him go. It seemed like it was not on purpose."

"That is beside the point," Dark replied through gritted teeth. "He still touched you."

The Fake Princess fought down a blush, but she recognized it was an accident. The boy did not look much older than her, and despite his nonchalant attitude, she sensed his anxiety. It did not surprise her. Being at the end of a sword's blade would do that to anyone. So, she took the boy's scratched up hands and rubbed them gently as a sign of good will.

"Please ignore my…Honey," she said with some difficulty. "He is very…"

"Protective," Dark shot back helpfully. His glare was still present on his handsome face, but the Black Knight did sheath his sword.

"Yeah, that. So I apologize. But do not worry about what happened. It felt like being touched by a wandering puppy. Or a bunny! Nothing like being touched by a man!"

She said it with such sincerity that Dark did not dare laugh, even though his sides began to hurt from the restraint. Satoshi tried to look offended, but this girl blinded him that it was straining to look at her.

"You are like the sun," he breathed out.

This did not please The Black Knight in the slightest.

"Well, thank you," Riku curtsied, while Dark wildly pointed his finger at Satoshi who flushed at his own words.

"Are you saying she is the sun in the sense that large and overly round? That is highly rude as I should strike you for such a dishonor."

Now having collected his bearings, Satoshi look a good look at the Knight, not knowing he was the infamous Black Knight, and immediately decided he did not like him at all.

"I meant it in the sense that she is so beautiful that it is blinding," Satoshi coolly replied as though he finally knew how to talk to women.

The Pretend Couple both turned red, though with different intentions. Riku was overwhelmingly flattered while her fake lover's anger only rose.

"Now listen here-"

"Thank you very much!"

Dark shot an incredulous look at the Riku, who fluttered her long eyelashes at the simple village boy. Satoshi marveled at how similar she was to Risa and yet how different they truly were at the core. Risa was lovely like a doll, but this girl was striking with eyes that pierced a part of his heart that he did not realize he had.

He felt a pang of jealousy as she argued with the handsome man who was bickering back at her, a picture of familiarity and open banter that he found himself longing for without reason. They had to have been together. How nice, that this girl managed to find some happiness despite the life Risa believed she led.

_I must interrupt. I want her. _

"Riku." His voice was sharp that it cut through the lightheartedness of the couple in front of him.

Their reaction was instant. Dark pulled out his sword swiftly as Riku moved behind him, her large brown eyes narrowed at him with suspicion.

"How do you know that name?" she asked, her voice once bright with life low with apprehension and veiled threats.

"I know the name from your sister. Trust me, I mean you no harm." Satoshi felt as though he were a different person speaking, a person with new desires and a longing that felt ancient.

Dark's blade rested dangerous close to his heart with a blood thirst that was not present in their first encounter. "That elevates my suspicion towards you. Who are you, boy?" he snarled.

_Well, wow, now that's frightening. _The voice said again drily. Satoshi only grew annoyed, wondering where this inner voice came from and how he could shut it up.

"I'm a stable boy. My name is Satoshi." He imagined his life before, in the tiny hut just outside the village where the family that employed him lived. He imagined his daily care of the horses and other animals he was entrusted with, and tried to forget the beautiful face of the man claiming to be kin. "I was tasked by your sister to find you."

The blindingly bright girl moved away from Dark, but the Knight still held an arm out protectively. "You…you met my sister?" she spoke so low that Satoshi strained his ears trying to hear her.

"Yes, Risa. She kind of…saved my life."

He began to talk quickly while he was sure they were not going to kill him. He talked about running away from home and encountering the rain because he was ignorant, unlike a Fake Tower Princess who knew the skies or a Princess in Hiding who spoke to the trees, and did not know the rain would be heavy and he would fall ill. He spoke about waking up in a busy cottage surrounded by greenery, and about a girl who had her face but talked far more than he thought a person was capable of. At that, Riku finally smiled wistfully, her eyes looking at something past him.

"That sounds like Risa. She loved to talk. I think she generally loved the sound of her voice."

"She said," he began, hesitating slightly. Dark had sheathed his sword, but his hand remained on the hilt, a clear warning that his trust was yet to be won. "She said she wished she would have let you talk more, so that she would have remembered the important bits. She was not sure if you were quiet by nature or by force."

Her eyebrows scrunched together in thought for just a few seconds before relaxing them. She touched Dark's shoulder and gave him a look that he understood, which made the inner voice Satoshi had just acquired snarl.

"I think a bit of both. I think I may be quieter than Risa, but I do enjoy initiating conversation."

"Ain't that the truth," Dark muttered loud enough for her benefit.

"Honey, be nice."

"Darling, did I stab him? No. So this is being nice." Dark walked around him, studying him before finally accepting the idea that Riku was not going to let this boy go off on his own. "I am Dark Mousy, the Black Knight of the Niwa Lands."

He was pleased to see Satoshi pale. Of course he heard of him. Everyone had heard of him and his adventures and victories. He had a reputation and skills that validated it.

"Boy, can you use a sword?"

Satoshi knew of the strength the Black Knight possessed. The man was like a legend, and he recalled the girls in his old village dreaming of becoming his bride and the boys wishing they could have a fraction of his charisma.

That did not change his dislike of him whatsoever.

"No, I cannot."

"A bow?"

"No."

"Can you hunt? Fish?"

"I do not consume meat."

"Then do you know how to forage?"

Satoshi turned red from shame. He lived on his own, but his employers had always provided him with food as payment. He traded with merchants, and cared for animals, but never had he truly needed to provide his own food.

"No."

Dark's annoyance was palpable. "_She _can hold her own in a fight, knows how to forage and wash, among other skills. What _can_ you do?"

"I tend animals." He said lamely. "That was my job. I cared for the animals. I was a stable boy, remember?"

He was not sure if this pompous, self centered, overly cocky, thinks he is too cool (what does the Princess see in him, anyway?), Knight found that useful, but pretty Riku perked up in interest.

"All animals?"

Satoshi felt flushed again, but this time, it was pleasant. He gave her a small smile. He hoped it was a good smile—the youngest daughter of the family he worked for once told him his smile could scare the dead. Maybe that was why he got along with animals better than people. "I've never encountered an animal that I could not tend to."

At that, she seemed to have decided that he had some use after all, for when she reached into her pouch to delicately present him with an animal he had never seen before in his life, her eyes pleaded with him.

"Please, can you help Wiz?"

Dark appeared to want to protest, but one look at her watery eyes shut him good. At the very least, Satoshi could not blame him. He would probably do anything she wished if she looked at him with those large eyes.

"He's been sick for two days now," she explained. "He won't eat, and I'm not sure if it is the change in environment or weather that has him ill. We used to just stay in one place together, and he's never been ill."

The tiny animal was white, but hot to touch. It opened its red eyes and whimpered in her arms.

"I will need to watch him overnight." Satoshi had not a clue as to what was wrong with this creature. However, he decided to pretend it was rabbit, or puppy, or any other animal he had experience with—the creature could not be that different, right? And he would be damned if he did not do the one thing this girl asked of him. He was not sure why he cared about her that much.

_Because she should be mine. I want her._

"There is an inn, just a few ways up north. We had planned to stay there for the night." Dark answered with a leveled tone. "Darling—"

"You can call me, Riku, he knows my name," she cut in. Dark smiled ruefully.

"Nah, I don't mind calling you darling, darling." He winked, and Satoshi cursed the man's good looks. Even Riku could not help but redden in spite of herself.

She huffed and began to walk up north on the path. When she was out of earshot, Dark glared at him, his deep eyes ablaze with quiet fury and Satoshi willed his entire body to remain cool.

"Your story may have won over Riku, but I am still going to watch you like a hawk. I don't fully buy what you are selling. I know there is something you are hiding."

Ah, yes. He had conveniently omitted the part where the witch that was after Riku was the man that came to him claiming to be his family. There just did not seem to be a good time to bring it up.

"If I determine that you are putting her in danger, I will not hesitate to strike you down."

The threat was very much real and something Satoshi could not take lightly. That however, did not stop him from growing annoyed.

"Who do you think you are?"

Dark seemed to get taller, the aura surrounding him was overpowering. "I am her knight."

Seemingly satisfied with his warning, he marched over to catch up with Riku. Satoshi only followed silently, contemplating if this was truly where he was meant to be.

_Of course it is. She is supposed to be yours._

He wondered how much of that was wishful thinking or an open declaration of war against the Black Knight.

Of course, the narrator has not forgotten the other Prince, who's destiny had also gotten darker than one anticipated. But that is a story for another day.

* * *

_**Ultra Special Blah Blah Blah: **__A couple things…_

_A friend of mine has since passed away, and among other shit things that happened in 2016, it has been hard to get motivated. I am sorry for my lack in updated._

_xoxo_


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